Police sergeant forced black colleague to display toy monkey on her desk, tribunal hears as he is accused of racism

A counter-terrorism officer forced a black colleague's to keep a toy monkey on her desk and taunted her with racist comments, an employment tribunal has heard.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Mottau, a member of the South East Counter Terrorism Unit (SECTU), is said to have told her "when the black monkey sings it is your turn to make the tea".

He faces a four-day misconduct hearing, starting on Monday at the Thames Valley Police force's headquarters in Kidlington, Oxon.

If the allegations are proved to be true, he faces being sacked by the force and losing his job with the terrorism team.

He is alleged to have asked his unidentified colleague to embrace the black monkey and refused to let her move it off her desk.

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It is claimed that his conduct breached police standards for professional behaviour by his failure to act fairly and impartially towards a colleague, and further behaved in a manner likely to "bring discredit on the police service".

DS Mottau reportedly made various comments to his colleague of a "racist, inappropriate and disrespectful nature by reference to the monkey" between August 15 and September 15 last year.

The officer will face a panel chaired by Nicola Talbot Hadley.

A spokesman for the force said: "The facts of misconduct are that on or about August 15 he placed or caused to be placed a black toy monkey on the desk of a black female member of staff, saying words to the effect of 'when the black monkey sings it is your turn to make the tea'.

"He refused to allow her to move the black monkey, and made various comments to her of a racist, inappropriate and disrespectful nature by reference to the black monkey.

"These included on more than one occasion, saying to her that as she had the black monkey it was her time to make the tea and/or indicating that he wanted her to make him a drink and on a further occasion asking her if she would like to embrace the black monkey."